How do I get my Google ads to show in AI Mode and AI Overviews?
You can't opt in or target these placements: Google picks eligible ads from current campaigns. Ads inside AI Overviews come from Search, Shopping and Performance Max campaigns, and Google's help page says they need broad match or keywordless targeting such as AI Max. They show in English in 12 countries. Ads in AI Mode are still a US test: Google named the same campaigns in 2025, and in September 2026 its Ads Liaison said a small experiment lets exact and phrase match text ads serve there on explicit-intent searches. Google offers no opt-out or separate AI Overviews report.
As of October 2026.
What changed
| Before | Now | |
|---|---|---|
| Ads inside AI Overviews | US only, mobile first; Google added US desktop on May 21, 2025 | English, on mobile and desktop, in Australia, Canada, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Malaysia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore and the US |
| Targeting needed inside AI Overviews | Broad match or keywordless targeting | Unchanged. Google "requires AI-powered targeting solutions like broad match on Search," or keywordless targeting from AI Max, Performance Max, Shopping or Dynamic Search Ads |
| Ads in AI Mode | Test started May 21, 2025, for advertisers "already using Performance Max, Shopping and Search campaigns with broad match," including AI Max | Google's Highlights of 2025 page (December 8, 2025) says it is "testing ads in AI Mode in the US," and its 2026 Accelerate page still calls the new AI Mode formats a test. We found no Google Ads Help article that lists AI Mode eligibility |
| Exact and phrase match in AI Mode | Not named as eligible | A "small experiment that recently kicked off," Google's Ads Liaison said, per Search Engine Roundtable on September 4, 2026: exact and phrase match keywords can serve text ads in AI Mode, "limited to cases where there is explicit and direct user intent." Google gave no end date or wider rollout |
| New AI Mode ad formats | None | On May 20, 2026, Google said it is testing Conversational Discovery ads and Highlighted Answers. Google says to build on AI Max and Performance Max |
| People who connect apps to AI Mode (Personal Intelligence) | Google said in March 2026 these users saw no ads, per Search Engine Roundtable | Google's Search Help now says info from connected apps "may be used to show you ads." Search Engine Roundtable reported on October 19, 2026 that Google told Search Engine Land it is "starting to test" ads for these users |
| Reporting and control | Ads in AI Overviews are reported as Top ads, with no segmented report, no way to target the placement and no opt-out. Google hasn't documented AI Mode reporting; PPC Land says AI Mode delivery can't be separated from other Search results either |
Why guides disagree on eligibility
Guides are reading different Google statements, and many were written before September 2026. Here is what Google itself has said, by date:
- May 21, 2025 (Google Ads & Commerce blog): advertisers "already using Performance Max, Shopping and Search campaigns with broad match," including AI Max for Search campaigns, are eligible for ads in AI Overviews and AI Mode.
- May 20, 2026 (Google Marketing Live): the new AI Mode formats are built on "a strong foundation with AI Max for Search," AI Max for Shopping and Performance Max. Google's Accelerate page says the new formats are "Powered by AI Max and Performance Max."
- September 4, 2026 (reported by Search Engine Roundtable): Google's Ads Liaison, Ginny Marvin, called it "a small experiment that recently kicked off" and wrote in a LinkedIn comment that "Exact and phrase match keywords are eligible to serve text ads in AI Mode," limited to explicit and direct intent, while "AI Max and PMax for Search are designed to capture complex conversational intent" and get the newest formats, like Highlighted Answers.
- Checked October 24, 2026 (Google Ads Help, "About ads and AI Overviews"): ads inside AI Overviews need broad match or keywordless targeting. The page doesn't mention AI Mode, exact match or phrase match.
So third-party pages differ. A July 2026 Grow My Ads guide says exact and phrase match campaigns without Shopping or Performance Max get no AI Overviews or AI Mode coverage, which matches Google's 2025 statement but predates the September test. PPC Land wrote that Google's documentation had required AI Max or Performance Max with text customization for AI Mode; we found no Google page that says so.
Who it affects
- Search accounts built on exact and phrase match, which is common in B2B. Your ads can still show above or below AI Overviews (Google says that works in all 200+ markets where AI Overviews appear), but not inside them. In AI Mode, Google says exact and phrase match keywords can serve text ads only within its small experiment, for searches with explicit and direct intent.
- Accounts with broad match, AI Max or Performance Max. You are eligible for ads in AI Overviews and for Google's AI Mode test, and that traffic is reported with the rest of your Search traffic. If your campaign-level broad match campaigns were upgraded to AI Max in September 2026, see what the AI Max upgrade changed.
- Finance, healthcare and other sensitive verticals. Google says it doesn't show ads in AI Overviews "for sensitive verticals like adult, alcohol, gambling, finance, healthcare, politics, and more." A B2B fintech or health tech advertiser may not get the placement at all.
- Advertisers outside the 12 countries or not in English. Ads inside AI Overviews aren't available to you yet.
- No one can opt out. If your campaigns are eligible, they can serve there.
What to do now
- Check what each campaign uses. List each Search campaign's match types and whether AI Max is on, plus any Performance Max or Shopping campaigns. That tells you which of these surfaces you can reach today.
- Don't switch to broad match just to appear. Broad match and AI Max open these placements, but they also match many more searches. Test the change against your current setup, for example with an AI Max experiment, before you roll it out.
- Bid toward a qualified lead. Google recommends Smart Bidding for ads in AI Overviews. If you use it, set the goal to a conversion that means a real lead (a sales-accepted lead or an imported opportunity), not every form fill.
- Keep your exact and phrase match campaigns. They still serve above and below AI Overviews, and while Google's experiment runs, they can serve text ads in AI Mode for searches with explicit intent.
- Read the search terms report every week after you broaden. Add negatives for searches you never want, such as jobs, students, free tools and definitions.
- Make your landing pages answer real questions. Google matches these ads to both the search and the AI Overview content, and its best practices include investing in high-quality creative on your website.
- Judge results by lead quality. Since AI Overviews and AI Mode traffic is blended into Top ads, compare cost per qualified lead before and after a change rather than looking for a placement report.
- Watch for Business Agent for Leads. On May 20, 2026, Google said that "in the coming months" it would add a Chat option inside Search ads that answers questions from your website instead of a static form. It is aimed at lead generation, and Google gave no launch date.
Dates to watch
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| May 21, 2025 | Google starts testing ads in AI Mode and brings ads in AI Overviews to desktop in the US |
| 2025 | Ads in AI Overviews expand in English to more countries; Google's help page now lists 12 |
| May 20, 2026 | Google Marketing Live: Conversational Discovery ads and Highlighted Answers in test in AI Mode; Business Agent for Leads announced for "the coming months" |
| September 2026 | Google upgrades campaigns using the campaign-level broad match setting to AI Max (details) |
| September 4, 2026 | Google's Ads Liaison confirms a small exact and phrase match experiment in AI Mode, per Search Engine Roundtable |
| October 2026 | Google tests ads for AI Mode users who connect their apps, per Search Engine Roundtable (October 19) |
| Not announced | A report that splits out AI Overviews or AI Mode; a launch date for Business Agent for Leads; an end date or wider rollout for the exact and phrase match test |
Sources
- About ads and AI Overviews - Google Ads Help, checked October 24, 2026
- More opportunities for your business on Google Search (Google Ads & Commerce blog, May 21, 2025), checked October 24, 2026
- A new generation of ads for the AI era of Search (Google Ads & Commerce blog, May 20, 2026), checked October 24, 2026
- Google Ads Highlights of 2025 - Google Ads Help (December 8, 2025), checked October 24, 2026
- Ads in AI Mode - Accelerate with Google US, checked October 24, 2026
- Anthony Higman's LinkedIn post, with Ginny Marvin's comment for Google, checked October 24, 2026
- Google Ads Tests Serving Search Ads With Restrictive Match Types In AI Mode (Search Engine Roundtable, September 4, 2026), checked October 24, 2026
- Connect your Google content apps to get a Search services experience that's tailored to you - Google Search Help, checked October 24, 2026
- Google Ads Coming To AI Mode With Personal Intelligence (Search Engine Roundtable, October 19, 2026), checked October 24, 2026
- About the broad match keywords campaign setting - Google Ads Help, checked October 24, 2026
- How to Show Ads on Google AI Mode and AI Overviews (No, You Don't Need AI Max) (Grow My Ads, July 18, 2026), checked October 24, 2026
- Exact and phrase match keywords gain AI Mode ads in Google test (PPC Land, September 6, 2026), checked October 24, 2026
